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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987371">Spring Break</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen'>bansheequeen (queenbanshee)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian'>xtremeroswellian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The High School Series [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Smallville</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bestest Cousins, Creepy, Don't challenge Lois to a drinking contest, F/M, Friendship, Gen, High School, Hurricane Lois, Kissing, Love, Party Planning, Spring Break, The haunting of the Luthor mansion, Underage Drinking, Witchcraft, secret passageways, spells</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:20:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987371</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Friday before spring break had finally arrived and she couldn’t be happier that it was here. Lionel was supposed to be in Europe for business, she was going to help Ollie and Lex with the party and Lois was actually coming in for the break, which made this the best spring break in her existence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chloe Sullivan &amp; Lana Lang &amp; Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan &amp; Lex Luthor, Chloe Sullivan &amp; Lois Lane, Lois Lane &amp; Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen &amp; Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The High School Series [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
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</div>Friday before spring break had finally arrived and she couldn’t be happier that it was here. Lionel was supposed to be in Europe for business, she was going to help Ollie and Lex with the party and Lois was actually coming in for the break, which made this the best spring break in her existence. <p>It was a little after five when Chloe finally made her way over to the Luthor mansion. Her dad had allowed her to keep the car Lex gave her under the condition that she didn’t drive it like him. Normally, she wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping something so expensive but it wasn’t like her dad could afford a new car for her. Besides, this was the only way she would be able to see Oliver since he still wasn’t allowed to have a car and she figured if nothing else, she could consider this her college fund. </p><p>With a deep breath, she got out of the car and rushed up the stairs, ringing the doorbell and waiting impatiently. Lionel or not, she’d been coming to the mansion more often during the day, both to show the older man none of them were afraid of him and because it was the only way she could see Ollie outside of school. She missed him sleeping over a lot, but she liked being anxious to see him every day. </p><p>A moment later, Oliver opened the door. He smiled at her, holding his hand out. “Come on in, Gorgeous.” Not that he’d been anxiously awaiting her arrival just a few feet from the door or anything.</p><p>She took his hand and stepped inside, grinning softly at him. “Finally free,” she commented. “How are things going here?”</p><p>“Good. We’re just working out some of the finer details of this shin-dig we’re planning. You’re just in time.” </p><p>“Good,” she said brightly, leaning in and kissing him as she lifted her free hand to his shoulder.</p><p>He kissed her back, winding his arm around her waist and pulling her a little closer. “You look pretty,” he said softly, pulling away to let his gaze sweep over her.</p><p>She grinned softly, lifting both her hands to his shoulders and wrapping them behind his neck. “Thank you, I’m just happy it’s today,” she admitted.</p><p>“Careful with your arm,” he whispered, kissing her cheek.</p><p>“It’s fine, I’m ready to get rid of this thing,” she told him, smiling then kissing him again. </p><p>“Just a couple more weeks,” he assured her, cupping her cheek in his hand and kissing her.</p><p>She deepened the kiss a little and shifted closer to him as she cupped the back of his neck in her left hand.</p><p>“Okay, lovebirds,” Lex said wryly. “We have planning to do.” </p><p>Chloe reluctantly pulled away and grinned when she looked up the stairs and saw Lex standing there. “That’s why I’m here.” </p><p>“Good. Come on up. We’ve got a lot of work to get done.” </p><p>She smiled at Oliver and nodded a little. He and Lex were getting along extremely well, she didn’t want Lex to feel like a third wheel. “Have you guys heard the ghost again?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.</p><p>Lex smirked. “So that’s why you keep coming back here,” he said with a knowing look, smirking at Oliver. </p><p>Oliver shook his head a little, resting his hand at the small of her back and guiding her toward the staircase. “No sign of the ghost since the last time you asked,” he teased.</p><p>“You two live in a <i>real</i> haunted castle and you can’t even be bothered to look at evidence, you disappoint me,” she said, mock sighing at them. “Wait until Lois gets here, we’ll find it and we’ll tell it to haunt you.”</p><p>“Your cousin’s starting to scare me and I haven’t even met her yet,” Oliver joked.</p><p>“You should be scared. Dad said he will have her report back to him on you, until you’re done being grounded and you can finally meet him,” she teased. </p><p>“You’re done, Queen,” Lex called as he made his way into the study.</p><p>He grimaced. “He’s probably right,” he told her. </p><p>Chloe pressed a kiss to his cheek and grinned brightly. “We’ll just have to sneak around again if that happens,” she whispered before following Lex into the room.</p><p>Oliver shook his head a little, following her, amusement making his eyes bright. </p><p>“Okay, so what do we have to do?” Chloe asked as she sat down on the loveseat by the fireplace, next to the armchair Lex was occupying. </p><p>“We still need someone for music, whether it’s a band or a DJ,” Lex supplied.</p><p>“Well, I guess it depends how impressive you want to be? And who is available, because it’s kind of last minute,” she said, glancing at Ollie as he sat down next to her. </p><p>“DJ might be better anyway. Wider variety of music,” he said, shrugging.</p><p>“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “And easier to get. Lois might know some people from Metropolis, but she’s not getting here until tomorrow.”</p><p>“Finally I get to meet the famous Lois Lane,” Lex said, smirking at her.</p><p>“She’s pretty excited about meeting ‘all the billionaires’ I hang out with,” Chloe teased, leaning back against her seat.</p><p>Oliver smirked, shaking his head and reaching over to the table, picking up his glass of tea and taking a drink.</p><p>“So we will just wait until tomorrow and ask her abou--” Chloe stopped talking and her eyes widened when she heard a high pitched scream that caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. “What was that?” She asked, looking between the two of them.</p><p>Oliver’s eyes widened and he rose to his feet, too. “Good question.” He moved toward the door.</p><p>“It sounded like it came from upstairs,” Lex said, walking up to the door and heading outside. </p><p>“Let’s go,” Chloe urged them, starting toward the stairs that led to the third floor.</p><p>Oliver rested his hand on the small of her back as they ascended the steps together behind Lex, heart beating heavily in his chest. </p><p>Lex led them down a hallway, opening door after door as he went and stopping when he reached the last one. “There’s no one here,” he said, shaking his head as he turned to face them. </p><p>Pursing her lips together, Chloe poked her head inside the last bedroom then frowned. “Maybe it was one of the staff? Maybe they saw a mouse or something,” she tried. The scream had been terrified so it was one of the few logical explanations. </p><p>Oliver looked between them, frown deepening. “Is there an attic?” he asked uncertainly.</p><p>“No,” Lex said, looking at the ceiling and shaking her head. “Not one I know of, anyway.” </p><p>“I’ve said this before, but there is no way this place doesn’t have secret passages,” Chloe told the two of them. Especially with how big a creep Lionel was.</p><p>“Or maybe it really is haunted,” Oliver murmured, glancing around.</p><p>“Ghosts aren’t real,” Lex said, looking over at Oliver. “You’ve been around Chloe too much.” </p><p>“You didn’t used to believe me about the meteor rocks, either,” she reminded Lex. “I mean, it’s <i>Smallville</i>. What happens if someone dies around a whole bunch of those things, maybe it could have turned them into a ghost or something.” </p><p>Oliver shrugged a little. He didn’t necessarily relish the idea of ghosts living in the mansion with them, but Chloe was right about the meteor rocks. Who knew what would happen? “Maybe we should just go around checking on the staff.” </p><p>“I’ll call for Clara, see if she knows what happened,” Lex said then stepped into his room to use the intercom. </p><p>Chloe took a deep breath and turned to Ollie. “I’m not saying it is a ghost, but there is something going on here.”</p><p>Oliver nodded, pursing his lips. “Hopefully like you said, it was just a staff member seeing a mouse or something.” </p><p>“Hopefully,” she said quietly, pursing her lips together. She didn’t really believe that, but she had no proof otherwise. </p><p>“But if you are right...how uh, how do we get rid of a ghost?” </p><p>She paused at that, chewing on the inside of her mouth. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, I guess we need to find out what it wants?”</p><p>“How, though?” he asked, uncertainly. “Like a seance?” </p><p>“Well, if it’s actually here and it can scream, I don’t think we’d need one?” Chloe said, frowning. </p><p>“Beats me,” he said, shrugging.</p><p>“I guess we could research it?” Chloe suggested. </p><p>“No one saw anything,” Lex said as he came out of the room. “Staff is fine.”</p><p>“But we all heard the scream, right?” Oliver looked between them, shaking his head. “I mean, there’s no such thing as group hallucination.” </p><p>“They heard it too,” Lex told Oliver. “Security is looking around, but I doubt it’s anything serious. Wouldn’t have stopped if it was.”</p><p>He drew in a breath, looking over at Chloe with arched eyebrows. “Back to planning?” he asked uncertainly.</p><p>“Yeah,” Chloe muttered, pursing her lips together. “Let’s go get this done.”</p><p>* * * </p><p>Oliver walked Chloe to her car that night as she got ready to leave. “I wish you could stay over,” he admitted quietly.</p><p>Her face softened and she nodded a little. “Me too,” she whispered, turning to face him once she stopped right outside her car. “But I’ll be over as soon as Lois gets here tomorrow, and having her with me, dad won’t worry so much about me getting home at a reasonable time.” </p><p>He pursed his lips, nodding slightly at that. “That’ll be good,” he said softly, reaching up and cupping her cheek in his hand. </p><p>“Yeah,” she whispered, stepping closer to him and smiling softly. “And then we have the party, we’ll spend a lot of time together then.”</p><p>“Not quite the same as having you all to myself,” Oliver admitted.</p><p>Her heart skipped a beat at that and Chloe shrugged, grinning softly. “Well, just because there’s a party, doesn’t mean we have to be around people all the time.”</p><p>Oliver cocked his head, smirking faintly. “Point. It is an awfully big mansion.” </p><p>“Exactly,” she said mischievously then leaned closer and kissed him.</p><p>He kissed her back, his eyes drifting shut as her lips moved against his. He reached out, sliding his arms around her and pulling her closer to him.</p><p>She lifted her hands to his arms, resting her cast on his upper arm but cupping the back of his neck with her other hand. </p><p>They kissed for several long moments before he had to pull away just to catch his breath. He brushed his nose over hers. “Call or text me and let me know you made it home safe?” </p><p>Chloe sighed softly and nodded. “And, you know, if you’re feeling rebellious, maybe you can find your way up to my window again?” </p><p>Oliver grinned at that. “It’s a matter of finding a way to <i>get</i> to your window now,” he admitted.</p><p>“I know,” she said, sighing softly. “Maybe next week, when dad has to work, we can figure something out.” She kissed him again, quickly this time.</p><p>He nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Goodnight,” he murmured.</p><p>“Goodnight,” she whispered, reluctantly pulling away from him and reaching to open the door of the car.</p><p>He held his breath, watching her start to climb into her car. “Love you,” he told her.</p><p>She paused and smiled up at him once she was in. “Love you too,” she whispered, her chest tight. She wanted nothing more than to have him go over with her, but now that her dad knew, she felt bad abusing his trust like that, besides, she did want him and Ollie to get along. “I’ll call you soon.”</p><p>Nodding, he watched as the car backed up out of the driveway, and he lifted his hand in a wave.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
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</div>Lois Lane showed up in Smallville the way that Lois Lane did everything in life: barreling forward at ninety miles an hour in a crappy rental car, smoking, her long brown hair windblown from having the windows rolled down even in the chilly fifty degree weather. The rental company had explicitly stated no smoking in the vehicle, but once she was out of sight from the agency, she lit up. <p>By the time she actually made it to the town, she was slightly horrified at exactly how <i>small</i> it was. Granted, Chloe had told her over and over that the place was barely a blip on the map, but she’d thought her cousin was exaggerating. Apparently not. </p><p>There were more cornfields than people, and certainly more farm animals than buildings. She wasn’t sure how her ambitious cousin was actually managing to survive and <i>thrive</i> in this town. Chloe had always been a city girl at heart, and she lived for adventure and...how on earth was she managing this? If Lois had to stay there very long, she had a feeling she’d be making the news by doing something out of crazed boredom. </p><p>Chloe was more than a little impatient, both to see Lois and to get to the mansion. Ollie had already called her three times to check if Lois had arrived yet, and while she expected Lois to be late, because she was Lois, she hadn’t expected her to be so late. </p><p>But when she heard a car pulling up to her house, she looked out her window and almost sighed in relief when she saw Lois downstairs, not thinking twice before rushing to the front door and opening it. “Finally!” She called when she saw her cousin getting out of the car.</p><p>Lois’s face lit up as she spotted her cousin and she grinned brightly. “Well don’t just stand there, Cuz.” </p><p>She grinned brightly right back and walked over to Lois, hugging her tightly despite her arm.</p><p>Lois hugged her back just as tightly, sighing. “It’s been way too long since I last saw you.” </p><p>“I know, it’s good to see you,” she whispered, smiling up at her once she pulled back. “Let’s get your stuff and I’ll show you to your room.”</p><p>“Not that I’ll be spending much time in it,” Lois said with a grin, reaching into the backseat of the car and grabbing one of her suitcases. “And you don’t worry about carrying stuff. I’ll make a couple trips. You lead the way.” </p><p>Chloe rolled her eyes. “It’s a broken arm, it’s not a big deal,” she said. “I can carry something, besides, how much stuff did you <i>bring</i>?”</p><p>“Just the essentials,” Lois assured her, arching her eyebrows as she glanced at her cousin. “And a broken arm is a big deal if you ask me.” </p><p>“Fine, let’s just get upstairs and we can have dad help with it later. But if you need to change, grab something now, because we’re leaving,” she informed Lois.</p><p>“For Ollie’s house?” Lois guessed, smirking as he followed Chloe into the house.</p><p>“For the mansion,” she corrected her, grinning softly. “We have a party to finish planning.”</p><p>“I do love a good party. And considering two billionaires are hosting it, I’m assuming this one is going to be amazing.” </p><p>“I don’t even know everything they planned, but we were hoping you had a suggestion for DJ’s?” She asked as she made her way upstairs. </p><p>Lois followed her, thinking about that for a minute. “Well, there are a couple good ones in Metropolis if money’s not a problem, and I’m assuming it’s not.” </p><p>“It’s not, I mean Ollie doesn’t really have access to any of his, but Lex can buy whatever he wants,” Chloe told her. “And I think he really wants to impress everyone with this party.”</p><p>“Isn’t being a billionaire already impressive?” She arched her eyebrows, stepping into the small guest room and setting her suitcase down. </p><p>“He has issues fitting in, he really doesn’t have many friends at all,” she told Lois. “I think the fact that his dad is pretty much everyone’s boss in this town doesn’t help.” </p><p>“Especially if his dad is as much a jerk as you say he is. But that’s no reason for people to take it out on Lex.” </p><p>“He is, trust me,” she said as she sat down on the bed, eyes narrowing a little as she took a good look at her cousin. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong,” Lois said, frowning.</p><p>“You’ve been smoking,” she said, mostly just stating the fact. It wasn’t exactly news. “And are you shaking?”</p><p>Lois dropped down onto the bed. “I had one of those Monster drinks,” she told Chloe, grinning. “And it’s a good thing, because as far as scenery goes, there isn’t a lot to look at between here and Metropolis. It’s dull.” </p><p>“Oh,” she muttered, relaxing a little then shook her head. “But you answered that way too fast, there <i>is</i> something going on.”</p><p>Lois narrowed her eyes at her, then pursed her lips. “Yeah, but it’s not a big deal. Come on, I need to change so we can go.” </p><p>“You can change and tell me at the same time, what’s going on, Lo?” She asked worriedly. </p><p>She opened her suitcase, not looking at her cousin as she pulled out a clean sure that didn’t smell of smoke, and stripped out of the one she was wearing. “Oh you know, the usual. Academic probation.” </p><p>“What? What happened?” Chloe asked, her eyes widening. </p><p>“I’m really, really bad at math? And history? And biology?” She tugged the clean shirt on over her head.</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you,” Chloe said, frowning worriedly as she watched her cousin. She was sure the general hadn’t taken the news well. Assuming, of course, that Lois had told him.</p><p>“The three hours away thing makes it kinda hard, Cuz,” Lois pointed out, smoothing the material down and looking in the mirror that was on the back of her door. </p><p>“Phones, emails, webcams, they all work just fine,” she reminded her. “So, you don’t have to go to school anymore this semester or, do you have time to catch up?”</p><p>Lois avoided looking at her. “I’m out for the rest of the year,” she admitted.</p><p>Chloe was about to ask Lois what she was going to do, but stopped herself, she knew Lois was going to freak out at the question. “Is there any way I can help?” She offered instead.</p><p>“I was thinking about maybe...enrolling into Smallville High for the rest of the semester and seeing if I could catch up on math and biology that way.” Lois turned to look at her, expression hopeful.</p><p>Her eyes widened at that and Chloe stood up. “You mean you’d stay here for the rest of the year?”</p><p>“Provided I have a place to stay that isn’t in a barn.” </p><p>“Is this guest room good enough for you?” Chloe asked, grinning softly as she arched her eyebrows.</p><p>Lois smiled back at her, nodding quickly. “If you think Uncle Gabe will let me stay.” </p><p>“Of course he will let you stay, Lo,” Chloe said, stepping closer and hugging her again. “And I will help you with homework and everything you need.”</p><p>She closed her eyes, hugging her, too. “Thanks,” she said, voice growing quiet.</p><p>“It will be great having you around,” she assured her, hugging her tightly for a moment longer.</p><p>“Like one big long sleepover,” Lois teased, pulling away to look at her.</p><p>“Just like the summers you used to stay with us when we were little,” Chloe agreed, grinning softly. </p><p>“Exactly,” she agreed, nodding.</p><p>“Are you ready to go?” She asked, more than before she knew Lois needed distraction.</p><p>“I’m ready if you are,” Lois told her, arching an eyebrow. “I can hardly wait to see this guy.” </p><p>“Guys,” Chloe corrected her, smiling as she started out of the room. “After all the stories I’ve been telling him for years, Lex can’t wait to meet you.”</p><p>* * * </p><p>About fifteen minutes later, they were finally getting to the mansion. Lois had insisted on driving Chloe’s car and Chloe was just relieved they had made it there alive. “Okay, no more driving while caffeinated,” she told Lois, her eyes still wide even after her cousin had parked. She was worse than Lex and Ollie combined. </p><p>“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my driving,” Lois informed her, shutting off the car, handing her the keys, and climbing out the driver’s side door. “I still can’t believe you have a <i>Porsche.</i>” </p><p>“Uh huh,” Chloe said, sliding the keys in her own pocket to keep it safe. “Doesn’t really feel like mine, more like I’m borrowing it.” She got out of the car too and looked up, not surprised to see both Oliver and Lex coming out of the mansion.</p><p>“As long as you can keep borrowing it, whatever works for me.” She smirked and looked over at the two guys who were approaching. </p><p>“When I heard the screeching tires, I thought dad had made his way back early,” Lex said as he smirked at them, making his way down the front steps. </p><p>“Nope, just Hurricane Lois arriving,” Chloe told him, smiling then focusing on Ollie and grinning up at him. </p><p>Oliver grinned back at her. “Hurricane Lois?” he echoed, looking over to the pretty brunette. </p><p>Lois lifted her hand in a wave, looking first at Oliver, and then at Lex. “That would be me.” </p><p>“Hey,” Lex greeted.</p><p>“Were you guys sitting by the door, waiting for us?” Chloe teased as she walked up to the boys. </p><p>“Maybe,” Oliver teased back, sliding his arm around her waist. “Nice to meet you, Lois. I’m Oliver.” </p><p>“I gathered,” Lois said with an amused smirk, nodding at Lex. “And you must be Lex.” </p><p>“Obviously.” Lex smirked and nodded toward the mansion. “Come on in,” he invited then started toward it. </p><p>Chloe pressed a kiss to Oliver’s cheek and smiled brightly up at him. “It’s okay to admit it.”</p><p>“I thought I did,” he said lightly, guiding her toward the front door.</p><p>“What were you guys up to?” She asked as they walked inside. </p><p>“Just waiting for you two,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple.</p><p>“Lo just got in,” she told him quietly, wrapping her good arm around him. </p><p>“What do you want to do?” Lex asked once everyone was inside. </p><p>“I heard you needed a DJ,” Lois said, glancing around, and staring wide-eyed.</p><p>“Yeah, know one?” He asked, smirking at the look on her face. </p><p>“I know three,” she said with a shrug. “This place is <i>huge</i>.”</p><p>“Castles usually are,” Lex told her. </p><p>“Is the back yard all set up already?” Chloe asked, looking up at Ollie. Calling that a back yard felt silly, it was more like a massive garden. </p><p>Lois glowered at Lex, falling silent. </p><p>“Yeah, pretty much. We spent the morning on it, and some of the staff helped,” Oliver told Chloe, nodding.</p><p>“Why don’t you pick your favorite DJ and we’ll give him a call,” Lex suggested Lois, smirking more at the look on her face. “Then we will be set.” </p><p>“Well, show me what you guys did,” Chloe said to Ollie.</p><p>“Anyone have a cell phone I can borrow? Mine’s almost out of minutes,” Lois said, glancing over at Chloe hopefully.</p><p>Oliver pulled his out. “Here. You can use mine,” he told her.</p><p>“There’s the landline too, but that works,” Lex said. </p><p>“Give him a call then we’ll head out,” Chloe told Lois, smiling at her and nodding.</p><p>“Go ahead. It’ll take a few minutes probably,” Lois told her, shrugging as she took the cell phone.</p><p>“I’ll wait, if I need to talk to him,” Lex volunteered. </p><p>Pursing her lips together, Chloe shrugged a little and nodded. “We’ll be just outside,” she told her cousin, then glanced up at Oliver. </p><p>“See you in a few,” Lois agreed, moving over to sit down on the bottom stair step, phone in hand. </p><p>Oliver arched his eyebrows, then guided Chloe toward the opposite corridor that led to the backdoor of the mansion. </p><p>Chloe walked with him and shrugged a little. “Hopefully they won’t kill each other?” She said, uncertain. </p><p>“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” he told her with a small, amused smile.</p><p>“Well, I’m certainly not complaining about getting some time with you.” She grinned, arching her eyebrows as they made their way outside. </p><p>“I’d hope not.” He grinned back at her. “Considering it’s been almost twelve hours since the last time I saw you.”</p><p>Chloe mock gasped and shook her head as she stepped in front of him. “The horror.”</p><p>Oliver smirked. “Cute. That’s very cute.” He wound his arms around her waist.</p><p>She wrapped her arms around his back and smiled brightly. “Glad you think so,” she whispered, tiptoeing and brushing her lips to his.</p><p>He dipped his head, kissing her softly on the mouth and then resting his forehead against hers. “Hi.” </p><p>“Hi,” she whispered, brushing her nose against his and shifting a little closer to him. </p><p>“Have a good night?” he asked quietly. </p><p>“No.” She smirked a little. “Did you?”</p><p>“It wasn’t very restful,” he admitted.</p><p>“Because of the ghost?” She asked, cocking her head and arching her eyebrows as she brushed her fingers over his back.</p><p>Oliver smiled, shaking his head. “No, had nothing to do with the ghost.” </p><p>“Good.” She grinned brightly and kissed him once more. “I miss you coming over a lot.”</p><p>“I miss coming over a lot,” he told her, kissing the tip of her nose. </p><p>She wrinkled her nose and smiled. “Lois is moving here,” she told him quietly. “Don’t mention anything yet, but, it might make it easier to see you with her around.”</p><p>“I like her already,” he joked. “I thought she was going to Met U?” </p><p>“She kinda needs better grades, so, she’ll finish the semester here,” she told him quietly, not wanting to tell him too much about Lois’ problems. </p><p>He nodded a little, studying her. “I won’t say anything,” Oliver assured her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders.</p><p>“Thank you.” She smiled and brushed her nose against his. </p><p>“No thanks needed.” Oliver kissed her forehead. </p><p>“I love you,” she whispered to him, lifting a hand and cupping his cheek. </p><p>His expression brightened immediately. “I love you, too,” he told her, leaning into her touch.</p><p>She couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face, leaning in, she kissed him deeply and shifted closer, because she couldn’t help herself with that, either.</p><p>“You’re making me forget all about the party tomorrow,” he teased after the kiss ended.</p><p>“Is that a bad thing?” She asked, her face getting warm as she grinned a little. </p><p>“Never,” Oliver said with a grin of his own. He kissed her cheek softly.</p><p>“Good.” She kissed his cheek too. “Because I’m getting distracted as well.” </p><p>He smirked. “Naturally.” </p><p>“Oh, since you are so aware that you’re hot,” she teased, smirking. “You can’t blame me for being distracted by you and, in turn distracting you.”</p><p>“True. Turnabout is fair play,” he acknowledged with a nod.</p><p>“Exactly,” she said, relaxing a little when he agreed and kissing him again. She knew he had a lot more experience than she did, but that made her feel like she had to pace things for them because he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. </p><p>Oliver slid a hand up and into her hair. “You look beautiful,” he told her quietly. </p><p>Chloe smiled, brushing her thumb over the back of his neck. “Thanks,” she whispered, still not sure how to respond to that.</p><p>He searched her eyes, nodding slightly. He let his thumb brush over her bottom lip as he fell silent.</p><p>She held his gaze and let her lips part under his touch before pressing a light kiss to his thumb. </p><p>Oliver held his breath for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. “We should probably make sure Lex and Lois haven’t killed each other.” </p><p>With a deep breath, she looked down and nodded a little. “Yeah,” she whispered.</p><p>He met her eyes once more, chewing the inside of his cheek and then reaching down, taking her hand silently.</p><p>She slid her fingers through his, holding on tightly to his hand and keeping her eyes on his. There was something so intense, she didn’t know what it was, but she didn’t seem to be able to look away. </p><p>He couldn’t look away either, and he squeezed her hand lightly. </p><p>A second later, the doors opened and Lex stepped outside, along with Lois. “Are you done already?” He asked, frowning when he saw the two of them standing there. </p><p>Chloe blinked a few times and forced herself to look away from Oliver. They were just standing there, but she felt like they had just been caught in a heavy make out session.</p><p>“Um, so we should go inside,” he murmured.</p><p>“Lois hasn’t seen anything yet,” Lex said, frowning as he watched the two of them.</p><p>“That’s good, though. I don’t want to get throttled yet,” Oliver joked.</p><p>“I meant the decoration,” Lex said, squinting. “What’s going on?” </p><p>“Nothing,” he said, arching his eyebrows. </p><p>“Did you guys get the DJ?” Chloe asked quickly, looking at her cousin and pursing her lips together. </p><p>Lois quirked an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, we did.” She narrowed her eyes a little, shifting her gaze to Oliver. </p><p>“Good,” she breathed, squeezing Ollie’s hand and trying for a smile. </p><p>“Do you wanna walk around or just wait for the party?” Lex offered, not very interested in a tour. </p><p>“I can wait for the party. What else is there to do around here?” Lois questioned, glancing at Lex.</p><p>“Anything,” he said with a smirk. “There’s an entertainment room, a pool table, an actual pool, a wine cellar...” </p><p>Chloe cocked her head and stared at Lex. She was pretty sure he was showing off, which she had never really seen him do before. </p><p>“You had me at wine cellar,” Lois informed him.</p><p>“Let’s go,” he said, starting back into the mansion. </p><p>Tensing a little, Chloe looked up at Oliver. They hadn’t been down there since Christmas, when they had heard weird noises in that area. </p><p>“It’ll be okay,” Oliver murmured, squeezing her hand. He knew exactly what she was thinking about. “Maybe we’ll run into your ghost even.” </p><p>“I did some research on that last night,” she admitted, speaking quietly as they followed Lex and Lois toward the narrow stairs that led to the wine cellar.</p><p>“What’d you find out?” he asked curiously, also quiet.</p><p>“That I really hope there isn’t a ghost here,” she said, making a face. “Basically, it said you’d need to find the body and burn it to get rid of it.”</p><p>He blinked at that. “Are you serious?” </p><p>Chloe nodded a little and took a deep breath. “I’ll go to the library, there were some Wiccan books that said you could basically do some kind of ritual to help them become peaceful, but I don’t know about that.”</p><p>“Seems like it might be easier than burning a body. I mean, what if the person was cremated? Or we couldn’t find where they were buried?” </p><p>“I have no clue,” she admitted. “I just read some stuff, I didn’t really do an in depth research on this. Besides, books might be a little more trustworthy.”</p><p>“True,” he agreed, nodding. “I’d offer to come with you, but...” He grimaced.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s just the library. I can bring what I find and you can help me look?” She suggested, her hold on his hand becoming firmer as they reached the bottom of the stairs.</p><p>“Sounds good to me.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. </p><p>“Holy shit, there’s enough alcohol in here that we could drink for months if an apocalypse happened,” Lois said, eyes wide. </p><p>“There’s more,” Lex said, stepping forward and pushing a combination on a door before pulling it open. “This is where the really good stuff is.” </p><p>Her eyes widened even more and she followed him into the hidden room. “Wow.” </p><p>“You realize she’s never leaving now, right?” Chloe teased, tugging on Ollie’s hand and pulling him forward so she could see inside the room, too. </p><p>Lex chuckled and shook his head. “We can carry her out when she passes out, it will be fine, Chloe.”</p><p>“Hey, I can hold my liquor,” Lois informed them with a smirk. </p><p>Oliver arched his eyebrows. “How well?” </p><p>“Don’t,” Chloe warned, looking over at Oliver. </p><p>“We don’t have to go anywhere,” Lex said, amused. </p><p>“Better than you,” Lois informed him. </p><p>Without another word, Lex walked into further into the room and went through the bottles for a moment then picked one up and brought it to them. “Let’s see.” </p><p>Oliver looked at Chloe, trying not to smirk. “I think a challenge has been issued,” he whispered.</p><p>“You think?” She said, giving him a look then shrugging a little. “At least I know for sure she’s not driving us home.” </p><p>Lex picked up glasses and started passing them out. </p><p>Lois popped the top on the bottle and began to pour each of them a glass, finishing with her own. “Bottoms up.” She smirked and took a long drink.</p><p>Oliver shrugged, too, taking a drink.</p><p>Chloe sipped on hers, considering for a moment then took a longer sip. “Not bad.” </p><p>“It’s a seventy thousand dollar scotch, it better not be bad,” Lex told her as he sipped on his.</p><p>“So this is how rich people live,” Lois marveled, finishing off her glass and pouring herself another. “Just FYI, that’s more than my old car, and like...everything I’ve ever owned. Put together.” </p><p>“Pretty sure it’s more than our house,” Chloe said, squinting a little at the liquid inside her glass then taking another sip. </p><p>Oliver took another drink as well, raising his eyebrows at how quickly Lois had downed her first glass. It had been awhile since he’d drank alcohol. Lois just might have him beat.</p><p>Lex refilled Lois’ glass, then his own. </p><p>“Don’t try, she’s in college,” Chloe told Oliver when she saw him staring at her cousin. </p><p>“I give up. You win,” he told her, mostly because he didn’t want to be the reason that Chloe’s cousin wound up with alcohol poisoning. He had a feeling that wouldn’t make her very happy.</p><p>Lois smirked. “Lightweight,” she teased, thanking Lex for the refill. </p><p>“Thank you,” Chloe whispered to Oliver, smiling up at him. </p><p>“We have plenty of other stuff if you want something else,” Lex offered. “This is just my choice.”</p><p>“No, this is good. You have good taste,” Lois told him, moving to sit down on one of the steps. </p><p>Oliver smiled back at Chloe, nodding ever-so-slightly and taking another sip of his own drink.</p><p>“Hope you’re not planning on serving this at the party, even the two of you would go broke,” Chloe teased. </p><p>“I was thinking spring break is more of a tequila and beer occasion,” Lex said.</p><p>“He’s right. That’s what everyone drinks on spring break.” Lois shrugged and took another drink.</p><p>As Chloe finished her glass, she was already feeling a bit buzzed, it wasn’t like she was used to alcohol. “Also cheaper,” she pointed out. </p><p>“Do you want to go to the entertainment room? I can bring this along,” Lex said, lifting the bottle. </p><p>“Sure. Sounds like fun to me.” Lois arched her eyebrows, rising to her feet. </p><p>Chloe shook her head. “You’re so helping me carry her out,” she told Oliver. </p><p>* * *</p><p>About an hour later, the bottle was finished and Lois and Lex were both screaming at the TV as they played... whatever game it was that they were playing. The two of them drank the most, but Chloe had enough to feel completely lethargic, so the more she watched Lois and Lex play, the more she laid over Oliver on the far couch, trying to get comfortable because sleeping with him sounded so much better than watching them play games and yell at the TV. </p><p>He shifted so his back was more flat against the sofa, and he could pull her a little closer. “This isn’t exactly how I envisioned the day playing out,” he admitted.</p><p>“Hm,” she muttered, turning her head to look up at him and wrapping her broken arm around him. “No. Pretty sure they wouldn’t even notice if we left.”</p><p>Oliver met her eyes, stroking her hair back and out of her face. “I’m pretty sleepy,” he admitted. </p><p>“Me too,” she whispered, leaning into his touch a little. “Guess it’s your fault.”</p><p>“Sorry,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over her cheek.</p><p>“Who told you to be so comfortable to sleep on?” She asked, smiling softly up at him.</p><p>He grinned softly at that. “Just comes naturally.” </p><p>She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his palm then looked up at him again. “You should make it snow so Lois and I can’t leave.”</p><p>Oliver chuckled. “If I had the ability, I’d do that just for you. We can nap, though,” he suggested.</p><p>“Okay,” she agreed quietly. She was pretty tired, but also, relaxed and she really liked sleeping with him. She liked being so close to him and being comfortable.</p><p>“Want to stay here or go up to my room?” he murmured.</p><p>“Your room,” she said quietly, fairly sure Lois and Lex wouldn’t notice them leaving anyway. </p><p>He looked over at Lois and Lex, who were deeply engaged in the game they were playing and then nodded, sitting up and winding his arms around her to help her up, too.Chloe took a deep breath and stood up, looking up at him and watching him closely. He smiled softly at her, and rose to his feet, holding his hand out to her silently, not wanting to draw the attention of the other two. She stretched a little then took his hand, glancing at Lois and Lex then quietly making her way out of the room with Oliver. </p><p>Once they were in the corridor, he let go of her hand, and slid his arm around her instead,  yawning involuntarily. “So this will be new. You’ve never slept in <i>my</i> bed before.” He smiled a little.</p><p>“Never slept in any guy’s bed before,” she told him, turning her head and pressing a kiss to his shoulder.</p><p>“Really? Not even Clark or Pete’s?” </p><p>“I’ve napped at the barn, but that doesn’t really count,” she said quietly. </p><p>“Fair enough,” he agreed, nodding and leading her into his bedroom. He shut the door behind them and motioned to the bed. “Make yourself comfortable,” he said softly.</p><p>Chloe pulled her shoes off, then hesitated and pulled her jacket off too and dropped it over the back of his computer chair. </p><p>“You seem nervous,” he observed, watching her.</p><p>“Why would I be nervous?” She asked, turning to look at him and holding her breath.</p><p>“I don’t know,” he said softly. “Cause you’ve never slept in a guy’s bed before?” </p><p>“Well, I’ve slept with you plenty of times before,” she pointed out with a shrug. </p><p>“I know.” He nodded, sliding his shoes off and moving over to the bed. He pulled the covers back and crawled onto the mattress. </p><p>She watched him for a moment then walked over to the other side of the bed and got in too. </p><p>“See? Just like usual, except the bed’s a little bigger,” he told her with a soft smile.</p><p>“And comfier,” she said, turning to face him and smiling a little. </p><p>“As long as you’re with me, I have no complaints,” he said with a shrug, shifting closer and winding his arm around her.</p><p>She moved closer to him too and wrapped an arm around him, sighing softly as she quickly got comfortable, half laying over his chest.</p><p>“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and letting his eyes drift shut.</p><p>She pursed her lips together and took a deep breath breath but didn’t close her eyes, he’d been right when he said she seemed nervous, but sleeping on his bed had nothing to do with it. Now that she was more awake, she couldn’t help but think back to earlier, when they were standing outside and she couldn’t stop staring at him. About how intense it had felt, how intense her feelings for him were. And while she was sure part of it were hormones, she didn’t think they were supposed to feel like this, like she didn’t even want to think of not being able to see him on a regular basis or be away from him for too long. And whatever this was, it was scary.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
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</div>She had finally managed to fall asleep, apparently, but when she woke up, it was with a startle. There was a loud noise, as if heavy furniture was being dragged. She sat up quickly from her position over Oliver’s chest and looked around, her eyes wide. <p>At her movement, he woke up, sitting up slowly and rubbing a hand over his face. “What is it?” he mumbled.</p><p>“Didn’t you hear that?” She asked, holding her breath. </p><p>“I don’t know?” He blinked a few times in the darkness. “What’d it sound like?” </p><p>“Like something was being dragged,” she told him, pushing the covers off as she got up from the bed. </p><p>His eyebrows furrowed and he yawned involuntarily, climbing out of bed, too. “Where’d it come from?” </p><p>“I don’t know, it woke me up,” she muttered, holding her breath. “We should see if Lex and Lois heard it too?”  </p><p>Oliver pursed his lips, then nodded. “Yeah, probably.” </p><p>Letting out her breath, she nodded too then stilled when she heard it again, turning back to Ollie. “You heard that, right?”</p><p>He looked at her sideways, trying to ignore the uneasiness he was suddenly feeling. “Yeah. Yeah, I heard that.” </p><p>Chloe nodded, relaxing a little because he had heard it, at least she wasn’t crazy. “Let’s go find them,” she whispered, not bothering with her coat or shoes as she made her way to the door and pulled it open.</p><p>He followed her out of his bedroom, reaching out and resting his hand on her arm lightly. “Maybe I should go first,” he murmured.</p><p>“I’m coming with you,” she said, pulling her arm away and reaching for his hand with her good one.</p><p>He nodded slightly, holding onto her hand and then making his way down the darkened hallway. </p><p>She stepped closer to him and took a deep breath, pursing her lips together as they made their way to the game room. “It’s so quiet,” she whispered, squinting in the darkness. It was the weekend, so staff was reduced but it looked like no one had come up here since the sunset. </p><p>“How long did we sleep?” He shook his head a little.</p><p>“A while,” she said, frowning a little. At least two or three hours for it to be so dark out. </p><p>“You’re not going to be in trouble are you?” he asked, worried.</p><p>“Not unless Lois left without me,” she told him, squeezing his hand. “And she wouldn’t do that.”</p><p>Oliver relaxed a little, leading her farther down the hall and passing one of the guest rooms. A noise from inside made him freeze and he looked at her with wide eyes before letting go of her hand, reaching for the door handle.</p><p>With wide eyes, she shifted closer to him, holding her breath as he opened the door. The room was empty as far as she could tell, but the window was open and a strong and chilly wind was coming in from it. “Where is the light?” She whispered.</p><p>He reached up, flipping the light switch quickly and looking around. “Maybe it was just the wind,” he murmured, moving toward the window.</p><p>Chloe looked around for a moment too and shook her head. “Does anyone even use this room?”</p><p>Oliver pursed his lips. “No. Other than mine, the whole floor is empty.” </p><p>“Let’s just go find them,” she said worriedly. Why would the staff leave the window open if no one used the room at all. </p><p>He nodded in agreement, locking the window after he shut it, and moving to her side once more. “Come on.” He took her hand again.</p><p>She held onto his hand tightly and nodded. “And I’ll go to the library tomorrow,” she promised. </p><p>He drew in a breath, nodding too, and leading her out of the room, and down the stairs. “Lex?” he called, unnerved. </p><p>“Was that you?” Lex asked, coming out of the entertainment room, his face paler than usual.</p><p>“No, it wasn’t us.” He held his breath, noting the other man’s paleness. </p><p>“There was a window open in one of the guest rooms,” Chloe said, relieved to see Lois was there with Lex and okay. </p><p>Lois shrugged a little. “It’s an old mansion, right? Aren’t old mansions supposed to make weird noises?” </p><p>“There was a scream the other day,” Chloe told Lois. “Did anyone ever figure out what it was?” </p><p>“No,” Lex said, frowning. </p><p>Lois looked around at the three of them. “Are you guys trying to pull some kind of joke on me?” she asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.</p><p>“I wish,” Chloe told Lois. “We’ve been hearing weird stuff here for a while, and we can’t figure out what it is.”</p><p>“Chloe thinks it’s a ghost,” Lex offered. </p><p>“Something’s definitely going on,” Oliver said, pursing his lips. </p><p>“The ghost rumor came from some people at school,” Chloe said, taking a deep breath. “I don’t have a better explanation since we never <i>see</i> what is causing the noise.” </p><p>Lois arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been a lot of places, and I’ve never found any evidence of ghosts,” she said skeptically.</p><p>“We haven’t found any evidence either,” Lex said, shaking his head. </p><p>“But we don’t have any other explanation. I’m going to the library in the morning to see if I can find anything on it,” Chloe told them. If something bad happened to either Ollie or Lex, she wouldn’t forgive herself for not doing anything about it when she could have.</p><p>“I’ll come with you,” Lois told her. “I need to check out some books anyway, if I’m going back to high school.” </p><p>“Why would you do that?” Lex asked with a frown. </p><p>“Academic probation,” she said with a shrug.</p><p>Chloe pursed her lips together and took a deep breath. “We should get home,” she said, looking up at Ollie. “I’ll call you to let you know what I find tomorrow?”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan,” he said quietly, nodding.</p><p>“I’ll go get my shoes and then we’ll go,” she told Lois, holding her breath.</p><p>Lois nodded a little. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she teased, winking at her.</p><p>Lex smirked and shook his head, then went back into the entertainment room. </p><p>Chloe just rolled her eyes at her cousin. “I don’t think that exists,” she teased, trying to relax before glancing at Ollie and starting back toward his room.</p><p>Oliver smiled a little, too, then followed her back up the steps.</p><p>“I don’t know if you and Lex should stay here,” she admitted quietly, glancing over her shoulder.</p><p>“We don’t really have much choice,” Oliver pointed out.</p><p>“I know,” she muttered, pausing on top of the stairs and looking down at him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”</p><p>“I’ll be okay,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Then he kissed her softly on the mouth.</p><p>She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, her chest tight for more reasons than a possible ghost coming after them.</p><p>He wasn’t sure, but he thought he felt her tense up as they kissed. After a second, he pulled away look at her, worried. “You okay?” </p><p>She looked at him for a moment then nodded a little and kissed him deeply, trying to relax as she hugged him close. She loved him and, he seemed to love her, and she didn’t want to worry him because she was scared of where they were going to end up.</p><p>* * * </p><p>Two days later, the day of the party and coincidentally, the first day of the full moon, found Chloe, Lois and Lana heading into the woods. “Let’s just get this done and we can go get ready,” Chloe said, looking over at the two of them as she adjusted the book under her broken arm. </p><p>“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lana asked, sounding worried as she followed Chloe into the area.</p><p>“No,” she admitted, pursing her lips together. “But it just says it will calm the spirits, that can’t really hurt, right?”</p><p>Lois shrugged. “Plus for all we know it’s just a book. We don’t know that it’ll really do anything.” </p><p>“Exactly,” Chloe said, looking up at the sky as she stopped in a clearing. “We’re supposed to do this once the full moon appears in the sky, which, according to meteorology it’s at precisely 5:57 tonight.”</p><p>“Which is in about ten minutes,” Lana said helpfully, looking at her watch.</p><p>Nodding, Chloe looked over at her cousin. “You got the bottle opener?” She asked, glancing at the wine bottle in her cousin’s hand.</p><p>“Of course. Don’t leave home without one,” she quipped.</p><p>“Okay, let’s get ready.” Chloe opened the book on top of a taller rock and searched for the page she had bookmarked. “Supposedly, we just have to read the spell three times, then each take a sip of the wine and it should be done.” She felt silly, playing witches with Lois and Lana, but if it was going to protect Ollie and Lex, it was worth a shot.</p><p>“You say sip, I say guzzle,” Lois informed her, popping the bottle top open and pouring each of them a glass. </p><p>“You’ll have plenty to drink at the party, Lois.” Chloe reminded her, arching her eyebrows. </p><p>“What time are you two getting there?” Lana asked, pursing her lips together.</p><p>“It’s just cheap wine, Chloe. There’s hardly any alcohol,” Lois pointed out. </p><p>“And if you get a headache from it, you won’t enjoy the party,” Chloe said, then turned to Lana. “As soon as we’re ready? Probably around 7:30 or 8.” </p><p>“That’s when I was planning on going too,” Lana said, relieved.</p><p>Lois sighed, setting the bottle down on the ground. “We’re all going together, right?” </p><p>“Oh, you don’t mind? I was going with Clark, but, Lex asked him to come help set up, so I was just going to drive by myself,” Lana said, pouting a little. </p><p>“You’re on the way to the mansion, I can pick you up on our way there,” Chloe assured her, then took a deep breath. “I think we should get started.”</p><p>“Take us away, fearless leader,” Lois teased, smirking a little.</p><p>With a deep breath, Chloe looked between the two of them and held out her hands, as well as she could hold her right hand out with that stupid cast, anyway. “Okay, take my hand and like I said, we just read the text out loud three times.”</p><p>Lois and Lana each took one of her hands, looking at each other uncertainly, then joined hands with one another, as well. </p><p>Chloe glanced at Lois, then Lana before focusing on the book in front of her. “Okay, now,” she said, her heart beating fast against her chest. Normally she wouldn’t believe this kind of thing, but considering everything she’d seen since moving to Smallville, she was pretty scared it was going to work out, and that it would make things worse. </p><p>The three of them chanted together:</p><p>
  <i>Pacis inveniant corde<br/>Ut cupiant sectetur<br/>Non reticemus, et non inhibicionis<br/>Donec contenti sint liberi</i>
</p><p>Chloe’s eyes widened when, just as they finished up the third time, the letters on the book, which were dark green, started glowing a light green before forming a bright mist that started toward them.</p><p>“Well that was lame,” Lana announced, letting go of their hands.</p><p>Squinting for a moment, Chloe then shrugged and looked around. “Wine?” She asked her cousin.</p><p>“Finally.” Lois picked up the glasses she’d set down, handing one to Chloe, then one to Lana, and keeping the last to herself, taking a long drink.</p><p>Chloe drank the whole thing too and took a deep breath before nodding. “We have a party to get to.”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
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</div>The party was already in full swing when Oliver caught sight of headlights, and then saw Chloe’s Porsche rolling up into the driveway. He couldn’t help but grin, moving toward the door but pausing when it opened, revealing Chloe, Lois and Lana standing there. <p>He blinked several times, gaze dropping involuntarily to the low-cut blouse that Chloe wore. It was by far the most revealing thing she’d ever worn that he’d seen. </p><p>“Took you long enough.” Chloe grinned, eying him up and down slowly. </p><p>“To what? Have a heart attack?” His eyes were still wide.</p><p>All three of them laughed and she ran her hand over his chest lightly. “That’d be a waste of planning.” </p><p>“Where's Clark?” Lana asked as she pushed past Oliver and into the mansion.</p><p>“Beats me,” he muttered, not even looking at Lana, his eyes darkening a little at Chloe’s actions. “What uh--what happened to your cast?” </p><p>“Got sick of it,” she said, smiling brightly at him and stepping closer. “You know what that means, right?”</p><p>“That it’s going to be a lot easier to hurt it now?” He frowned a little, looking down at her arm.</p><p>“It’s <i>fine</i>,” she said firmly, leaning in and kissing him deeply.</p><p>Oliver kissed her back without hesitation, one hand winding up through her hair. </p><p>“Ugh. Get a room, you two,” Lois said, shaking her head and moving past them, toward the party.</p><p>Chloe wrapped her fingers against the front of his shirt and pulled him even closer, lifting her lips to his ear. “Maybe we should.”</p><p>“What’s gotten into you?” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck without really thinking about it.</p><p>She shivered and smiled, reaching for his hand and pulling him into the mansion. “It’s a party, we should have some fun.”</p><p>“No arguments here, Beautiful,” he assured her, following her willingly.</p><p>She turned to face him, walking backward as she reached for his other hand too and pulled him closer. “We should get something to drink, maybe dance a little and then we can go upstairs,” she told him, grinning brightly, her eyes dark as she held his gaze.</p><p>He couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Liking this plan,” he agreed, nodding. “What do you want to drink? Wine? Beer?” He shifted closer. “I could get us some of the better stuff if you want.” </p><p>“Something stronger,” she told him, shifting closer too as she stopped walking and wrapping her arms around his neck.</p><p>“Scotch?” he suggested, meeting her eyes and winding his arms around her waist.</p><p>“Okay,” she muttered, grinning softly and kissing him once again as she tiptoed and pressed her body against his.</p><p>Oliver smiled, brushing his nose against hers and slowly deepening the kiss, not caring that half their schoolmates were around, and probably watching them. He was just glad they didn’t have to keep their relationship a secret anymore.</p><p>“Forget it,” she muttered against his lips, sliding her fingers into his hair. “Let’s just go upstairs.”</p><p>“You sure? I mean, you just got here.” He slid his hand lightly up and down her back.</p><p>“I’m tired of waiting,” she said, holding his gaze. </p><p>Oliver held his breath at that, glancing over his shoulder momentarily, then reaching his hand down to take hers, leading her away from the party and toward the stairs. </p><p>She grinned brightly and held onto his hand firmly as she walked with him, smirking at the people who were staring at them and whispering.</p><p>Moments later they reached his bedroom and he pulled her inside, shutting and locking the door behind them before flipping on the light, heart beating more quickly in his chest.</p><p>Chloe turned to face him as soon as they were inside and smiled at the look on his face. “Not nervous, are you?” She asked as she stepped closer.</p><p>“Maybe a little,” he told her honestly. “Aren’t you?” He cocked his head to the side.</p><p>“No,” she said, stepping closer and brushing her fingers over his sides then his back but keeping her eyes on his.</p><p>“Really?” There was a hint of surprise in his voice.</p><p>Chloe squinted a little, watching him closely. “Couldn’t you tell this is what I’ve wanted for a while now?”</p><p>“No,” he said honestly, searching her eyes. “I mean, I know things between us have been getting more intense.” He lifted his hand up and cupped her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. </p><p>She leaned into his touch and brushed her hand over his stomach. “I was too shy to show you.”</p><p>“So what changed?” he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth as his stomach muscles jumped, tightening beneath her fingers.</p><p>“I told you,” she muttered, turning her head and brushing her lips against his. “I got tired of waiting. If you won’t make the first move, I am.”</p><p>“I just didn’t want to push,” he whispered, kissing her softly and shifting closer to her. “I definitely want you.” </p><p>She grinned at that and kissed him firmly, sliding her fingers under the hem of his shirt a second later.</p><p>He let her pull the shirt up and over his head, then let it drop soundlessly to the floor. He couldn’t help but smile at her.</p><p>With a deep breath, she ran her hands over his chest and smirked up at him. </p><p>Oliver’s gaze dropped to her shirt and he slid it up slowly, meeting her eyes once more before pulling it off her and letting it join his at their feet. He held his breath for a long moment. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, dipping his head and kissing her neck.</p><p>She shivered and grinned, rubbing her hands over his sides and moving closer to him once more before slowly running her nails over his skin.</p><p>He shuddered involuntarily, the feel of her nails against his skin only increasing his desire for her. He nibbled gently on her earlobe, his warm breath jostling her hair a little.</p><p>Chloe took a deep breath and pressed against him, stepping forward and forcing him to back further into the room as she turned her lips to his neck, nibbling on his skin, too.</p><p>Oliver couldn’t help but smile as she pushed him toward the bed, arching his eyebrows a little.  She lifted her head and stared at him, a smirk appearing on her lips, her eyes dark and focused on him. There was something different about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. </p><p>Pressing a hand to his chest, she pushed him back hard so that he was laying in bed.</p><p>Now he <i>knew</i> something was going on. He frowned a little, staring up at her. “Are you okay?” </p><p>“Not yet.” She grinned, climbing on the bed on top of him, straddling him.</p><p>“Hey.” He stilled her with his hands resting on her hips. “Did something happen, Chloe?” </p><p>“No,” she said impatiently, sitting up. “But it’s about to.”</p><p>He sat up, too, winding his arms around her waist so they were both sitting, face-to-face, faces only inches apart. “Slow down,” he said softly, brushing some hair out of her face.</p><p>“I don’t <i>wanna</i> slow down,” she said firmly, pulling her face away from his touch. “What are you, scared or something?” She asked, eyes narrowing.</p><p>Oliver’s eyes narrowed, as well. Yep, something was very wrong here. “You’re not acting like yourself. Did you come into contact with meteor rocks or something?” He stared at her, cocking his head to the side.</p><p>Chloe rolled her eyes then pushed him hard down the bed. “Fine,” she told him, pulling away and standing up. “I’ll find someone else who wants to have fun.”</p><p>“Whoa. Hey.” He rose to his feet, reaching out and catching her arm in a gentle grasp. “Not what I was going for.” </p><p>“Well <i>this</i> isn’t what I was going for either.” She pulled her arm from his, giving him a look before reaching for her shirt, but not wearing it and starting toward the door.</p><p>“Chloe. What the hell?” He stared after her, shaking his head.</p><p>She pulled the door open hard, turning to face him and grinning. “I’m sure it won’t be hard to replace you like this,” she said, opening her arms and walking backwards down the hallway.</p><p>He couldn’t help but feel like she’d punched him in the gut. But he knew if she went down the stairs without her shirt, she was either going to be humiliated, or something bad was going to happen. Probably both. He followed her, grabbing his own shirt off the floor and yanking it on over his head. </p><p>When he walked away, she started down the stairs without hesitation, turning her shirt in her hand as she did.</p><p>“You know, all I said was that we should slow down, Chloe.” His voice was full of cocky arrogance. “At least for the first time.” </p><p>Chloe paused at his tone, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face him. “I don’t <i>want</i> to slow down. I wanna get it over with.”</p><p>Oliver considered that for a moment. “Why didn’t you just say that?” he questioned.</p><p>“Because now you’re interested?” She questioned, eyes narrowing.</p><p>“I was never <i>not</i> interested, Chloe,” he told her, arching an eyebrow. “I just didn’t understand why you were being so aggressive about it.” </p><p>“Or you just decided you don’t want me going downstairs,” she said, watching him closely.</p><p>“Jealousy does play its role. But you knew that already.” </p><p>“No, I didn’t,” she told him. “Prove it.”</p><p>Oliver nodded slightly, walking down the stairs to where she stood. Wordlessly he lifted her into his arms, picking her up and carrying her back up the steps.</p><p>Grinning, Chloe stared up at him, considering for a moment then lifting her mouth to his neck and biting him before sucking his skin into her mouth, leaving a mark.</p><p>He carried her into his bedroom once more, grinning at her and kissing her on the lips. “Make yourself comfortable. I need to grab some protection.” He winked at her.</p><p>“You take too long and I won’t be here when you get back,” she warned, reaching for her skirt and unzipping it. </p><p>“I won’t be long.” He swallowed hard, watching her with wide eyes. “Trust me.” </p><p>Chloe let her skirt drop to the floor and grinned at him. “Hurry.”</p><p>“Count on it.” He pulled the door shut, his chest tightening at what he was about to do. But frankly he didn’t feel like he had a choice. He pulled the key out of his wallet and locked it from the outside, then rubbed a hand over his face. What the hell was going on?</p><p>* * * </p><p>Ten minutes later, he was searching every face in the crowd for any trace of Lois Lane. When he finally spotted her, Oliver made a beeline to her. “I need your help.” </p><p>Lois grinned and finished the bottle of whiskey she was holding. “Need me to tell you how it’s done?” She asked.</p><p><i>”What!?</i> No!” He stared at her in shock. “Look, I’m worried about Chloe. She’s not acting like herself.” </p><p>“Because she finally stopped being a prude? You should be happy,” she told him, shrugging. “Speaking of, where’s the farmboy? I need to punch him.”</p><p>“No, that’s not...” He forced himself to take a deep breath. “I have no idea where Clark is. Somewhere with Lana probably.” </p><p>Lois nodded, looking around for a moment then grinned when she spotted them. “Should be fun,” she said, popping her knuckles.</p><p>“Right. Thanks for the help,” he grumbled, moving away from her. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Lois was going to go punch Clark, and he knew that Lana and Chloe weren’t really all <i>that</i> close. But maybe Lex could help. He spotted the other man alone in the corner, looking annoyed and moved toward him, forcing himself to take another deep breath.</p><p>Lex gave Oliver a look and sighed before sipping on his drink. </p><p>“Something really weird is going on,” he told Lex in a hushed tone as soon as he was closer.</p><p>“You know, if all you and Chloe wanted to do was lock yourselves up in a room, you didn’t need a party for that,” Lex told him, annoyed.</p><p>He sighed softly. “Wasn’t my idea,” he said, voice growing even more quiet. “I’m telling you, something weird is going on.” </p><p>Lex considered him for a moment. “What?”</p><p>“I honestly don’t know,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder to where Lois was standing face to face with Clark Kent, looking very annoyed. “Meteor rock exposure?” </p><p>Frowning, Lex winced when he saw Lois punching Clark’s face then holding on to her hand in pain. “I guess that is weird, where is Chloe?”</p><p>He hesitated for a second. “Upstairs. I had to lock her in my room.” </p><p>“Why? Did she punch you, too?” </p><p>He would have laughed if the thought hadn’t been such a possibility. “No. But she wanted to come back down here...without her shirt on.” </p><p>Lex smirked at that then nodded. “Guess that’s not like her, although it’d make the party more memorable.”</p><p>Oliver sighed impatiently. “What do we do?” </p><p>“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “She’s usually the one who figures this stuff out.” Lex paused after a moment. “Weren’t they going to do whatever ghost ritual before the party today?”</p><p>He stared at Lex, eyes wide. “The spell,” he whispered.</p><p>Lex nodded and arched his eyebrows. “There’s your answer.”</p><p>Oliver rubbed his hands over his face. “This is not good.” </p><p>“Could be worse,” Lex said, nodding toward Clark who had Lois trying to kick him and Lana laughing about it.</p><p>“Who says it won’t get worse?” Oliver pointed out, watching Lois knee Clark in the groin. “Ouch.” </p><p>“Go find Chloe, I’ll try to bring Lois and Lana to the wine cellar, at least we’ll keep them away from people.”</p><p>“She won’t be hard to find,” he responded. But she was damn sure going to be <i>pissed.</i></p><p>“Just bring her down there and we’ll lock them up until we figure out what to do,” Lex said, frowning, eyes widening when he saw Lois trip on a chair and fall to the ground. He didn’t hesitate before starting toward her.</p><p>Oliver followed quickly, eyes wide, too. “Lois, are you okay?” He stood back as Lex knelt down beside her.</p><p>“...what the hell happened?” she grumbled, sitting up and wincing as she lifted a hand to her head.</p><p>“You tripped,” Lex said, helping her sit up and frowning. </p><p>“I didn’t do anything,” Clark said quickly. </p><p>Lois looked up at Clark, frowning. “Great. Who the hell are you?” </p><p>“...Clark,” he said carefully, taking a step back. </p><p>“You don’t remember what you were doing?” Lex asked.</p><p>“I don’t even know how I got <i>here</i>. We were just all in the woods.” She frowned, looking over at Lex.</p><p>Lex nodded a little and looked over at Oliver. “Guess that answers it.”</p><p>“So...all we need is head trauma and they’re back to their normal selves?” Oliver asked uncertainly, stomach tightening.</p><p>“Usually,” he told Oliver. </p><p>He rubbed the back of his neck. </p><p>“What do you mean? Back to our normal selves?” Lois shook her head.</p><p>“We think your spell did something to you,” Lex said. “You were trying to hit Clark and Chloe was trying to put on a show for the party.”</p><p>Her eyebrows furrowed. “Well, I understanding wanting to hit Clark, but Chloe’s not really a put on a show kind of girl.” </p><p>Clark frowned hard at that and crossed his arms over his chest. </p><p>“Maybe you can talk some sense into her?” Lex said, glancing at Oliver.</p><p>“I don’t know how well she’s going to take even seeing me right now,” he admitted.</p><p>“If she’s out of control, we knock her out,” he said with a shrug.</p><p>“I can’t knock her out!” Oliver protested, shaking his head.</p><p>“We don’t have a better idea,” Lex pointed out, rolling his eyes. “Besides, you don’t have to hurt her to do it.”</p><p>Lois rose to her feet, shaking her head. “If anyone’s knocking Chloe out, it’s me. I’m family.” </p><p>“There you go,” Lex said, nodding at Lois.</p><p>“All right. Let’s go.” He glanced at Lois and took a deep breath, leading her toward the stairs.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
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</div>By the time Chloe heard voices approaching the door, she was livid. She had screamed and kicked and thrown herself against the door, but it hadn’t worked. So she had grown quiet, waiting for him to come back. <p>A moment later the door opened slowly, Oliver and Lois standing there in the doorway. Without hesitating, she threw herself at him as hard as possible, her shoulder connecting with his chest. </p><p>He grunted at the force as she actually knocked him hard onto the ground. “Chloe!” </p><p>She took off running away from him, not even noticing she was running away from the main stairs until she found the stairs that went up to the fourth floor of the mansion.</p><p>“She’s going upstairs,” he told Lois, climbing to his feet once more and starting after her.</p><p>Chloe ran as fast as she could, pausing for a moment when she got upstairs then running toward the end of the hallway, trying the very last door. When it opened, she ran inside then stilled when she saw a smaller girl standing there.</p><p>The other girl’s eyes widened and she backed away from Chloe instantly.</p><p>“Who are you?” Chloe demanded, starting toward her. “You’re the ghost, aren’t you?” She asked, noticing her red hair and her white nightgown. </p><p>“Leave me alone,” she whispered, backing away even farther.</p><p>“No.” She stepped farther into the room. “Are you going to hurt them?”</p><p>Without warning, the redhead swung a candlestick, hitting her over the head with it.</p><p>She didn’t have time to duck so a second later, Chloe hit the floor with a thud.</p><p>Oliver made it to the top of the stairs just in time to see Chloe’s body crumple to the floor. His eyes widened. “Chloe!” </p><p>“Leave,” the girl said when he walked in, reaching for another candlestick.</p><p>He froze in his steps, staring at the pretty young redhead a few feet away. He didn’t move any closer to her. “Who are you?” </p><p>She didn’t answer, just took a few steps back. </p><p>The fear on the girl’s face was easy to read and he held his hands up. “Hey, easy,” he whispered, looking from her to Chloe and then back again. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just going to pick her up off the floor, okay?” </p><p>“Take her away from here,” she said firmly, still holding on to the candlestick. </p><p>“What’s going on?” Lois asked as she got to the door.</p><p>“Stay back, Lois,” he said seriously, voice firm. He gazed at the redhead, then moved forward, kneeling down beside Chloe. As soon as he felt that her pulse was strong and steady, he breathed a sigh of relief, carefully scooping her into his arms and standing up. He regarded the girl once more, then headed for the stairs. </p><p>Chloe groaned, lifting a hand to her forehead as she started waking back up.</p><p>“Easy,” he whispered, carrying her down the steps and toward his bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed and then looked back toward the stairs. </p><p>“What happened?” She asked, squinting as she looked up at him. </p><p>“Long story,” he said, a little warily.</p><p>“Oh, no,” she muttered, sitting up a little and wincing as her head throbbed. </p><p>“Easy. You might have a concussion.” He reached up, gently touching her cheek.</p><p>“What did I do?” She asked in a whisper, leaning into his touch. </p><p>He studied her for a moment, relaxing as he realized she was back to her normal self. Then he leaned in, kissing her forehead. “Might want to get dressed,” he said softly. “I’ll be back.” </p><p>Chloe blinked at that, looking down at her body and realizing she didn’t have pants on, only a top, which she was sure wasn’t hers and underwear. She instantly pulled the covers over her legs and stared up at him with wide eyes.</p><p>“It’s okay. We didn’t do anything,” he assured her.</p><p>She took a deep breath and nodded a little. “But I did something.” She knew that kind of reaction, she had been infected enough times to know that when she had no memory of how she got to a certain place and people told her it was ‘a long story,’ it wasn’t good.</p><p>“Nothing we can’t move past,” Oliver said quietly. “And I’ll tell you all about it in a few minutes, but I gotta go check on something first. Okay?” </p><p>“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding a little at him.</p><p>He offered her a soft smile, then kissed her forehead, moving toward the door and past Lois, who was waiting outside. “She doesn’t know what happened,” he told her quietly. “Stay with her. I’ll be back.” He headed for the stairs that led to the fourth floor once again.</p><p>“Neither do I,” Lois muttered before making her way into the bedroom.</p><p>Oliver took the stairs two at a time, pausing at the top and looking over to where the girl was sitting beneath the window. “Who are you?” he asked quietly.</p><p>She tensed and stood up quickly when she saw him. “You shouldn’t be here.”</p><p>“I live here,” he explained, keeping his eyes on her.</p><p>“I know,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not a ghost.”</p><p>“I didn’t think so,” Oliver admitted, watching her closely. “But that doesn’t explain who you are.” </p><p>“Lutessa,” she answered. “I’m not supposed to be seen.”</p><p>“Why not, Lutessa?” he asked, voice growing softer.</p><p>“He can’t know,” she said in a whisper, then walked away from him once again. </p><p>Oliver was silent for a moment. “Are you talking about Lionel? Or Lex?” he asked uncertainly.</p><p>She flinched and covered her ears at the older man’s name, turning to look away from him.</p><p>He held his breath at her actions, hesitantly taking a couple steps toward her, but doing his best to be as non-intimidating as he could be. Not easy when he was over a foot taller than she, older, and a guy.</p><p>“Leave!” She told him, keeping her back to him. </p><p>“I can’t,” Oliver told her.</p><p>“I’ll scream,” she threatened, glancing over her shoulder.</p><p>“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said sincerely. “I want to help you, Lutessa.” </p><p>“He will,” she said through clenched teeth as she turned, staring at him for a moment before screaming loudly.</p><p>He covered his ears, but didn’t move away from her. When she stopped screaming, he shook his head. “He’s not here.” </p><p>“He will know!” She told him. “Leave!” Before he could say anything, she ran to the opposite end of the room, pushing a wall open like a door and disappearing inside of it.</p><p>Oliver stared after her, stunned. </p><p>A moment later, Chloe rushed into the room, her eyes wide. “What happened?” she asked when she saw Oliver standing there. </p><p>“She’s not a ghost,” he whispered, still staring at the wall. </p><p>“You saw her?” she asked, stepping closer to him.</p><p>“She’s the one who knocked you out.” He pursed his lips.</p><p>“Who is she?” Chloe frowned, he looked almost dazed.</p><p>“She said her name is Lutessa. And if he finds out, he’s going to hurt her.” There was no doubt in his mind she’d meant Lionel.</p><p>“Lionel?” She asked, reaching the same conclusion. </p><p>Oliver turned his head to look at her, nodding silently.</p><p>“Oh,” she whispered and stepped up to him. “Where did she go?”</p><p>“Into a secret passage,” he told her, exhaling slowly.</p><p>Her eyes widened as she looked around the room. “Where?”</p><p>Oliver pointed to the far wall, pursing his lips. “I don’t know where it goes,” he admitted.</p><p>Chloe looked at him for a moment then made her way over to the wall, knocking on it a couple of times before pushing it. When nothing happened, she tried the other side, her eyes widening when it slid open. </p><p>He followed her to the wall, arching his eyebrows and peering inside. “Let’s go,” he murmured.</p><p>She hesitated then held her hand out to him. It was a very narrow and completely dark hallway, and she had no idea where it led. </p><p>Oliver took her hand and slowly stepped into the corridor, holding his breath as he moved, listening carefully. He didn’t hear anything, but he had a feeling that Chloe had been right: the mansion was full of secret passages.</p><p>They walked in silence for a moment then Chloe paused and took a deep breath as she turned to face him. “I think we better go back and find flashlights,” she whispered. They literally couldn’t see anything at all. The only source of light was the open door and they had left that far behind. </p><p>“Yeah, I think you’re right,” he whispered back. “Let’s go.” </p><p>Nodding, she followed him back toward the door, still holding on to his hand. She couldn’t wait to talk to him and figure out what had happened so she could apologize to him, but she knew that if there was a girl being held captive in the mansion by Lionel, that took priority.  </p><p>* * * </p><p>It was nearly 2 in the morning when Oliver and Chloe gave up trying to find Lutessa. As Chloe had said, the mansion was huge, and obviously full of secrets, and passageways, and the red head obviously knew them a lot better than they did. He had a feeling if she wanted, she could avoid them for days. “This is nuts,” he complained, dropping down onto his bed.</p><p>“I know,” she whispered quietly, sighing. “I can’t believe Lio--” she stopped herself and shook her head. There were still cameras around as far as they knew. </p><p>He nodded slightly. “He’s gonna freak out when he sees the mess from the party.” </p><p>“No kidding.” She held her breath and sat up a little. “Speaking of <i>that</i>...”</p><p>Oliver arched his eyebrows. “Yeah?” </p><p>“I know I need to apologize to you, but I have no idea what for,” she whispered, looking up at him.</p><p>He smiled ever-so-slightly, shaking his head. “No apologies needed.” </p><p>“You know, for how much you’re avoiding this, I’m thinking it’s <i>really</i> bad,” she told him, pursing her lips together and stopping herself from fidgeting. </p><p>“Chloe.” He sat up, shaking his head and looking at her. “You said you were ready for us to get together. We made out, you got a little aggressive, and I realized something was going on.” He shrugged.</p><p>“Oh,” she muttered, blinking a couple of times. “I jumped you?” She asked, her face feeling warm.</p><p>“As far as ancient spells go, I’m not complaining,” he said, winking at her.</p><p>She smiled a little at that and took a deep breath. “Did I hurt you?”</p><p>“I am completely uninjured,” he assured her. “But I did have to lock you in here for awhile so I could figure out what was going on. Sorry about that.” </p><p>“I don’t even remember it, so you’re excused,” she said, reaching over for his hand.</p><p>“Good.” He slid his fingers through hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. </p><p>With a deep breath, she leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek before mustering up the courage to speak again. He had seen her naked already for all she knew, might as well say it now. “And, I do want us to start exploring more, if you’re okay with that. I should probably have told you that <i>before</i> I jumped you, though.”</p><p>Oliver shifted so his body was turned toward her. “I’m okay with that, as long as it’s really what you want,” he said honestly. “I’m more than okay with that.” He smiled a little, kissing the corner of her mouth.</p><p>Chloe relaxed a little at that and smiled. “Good to know,” she whispered to him before turning her head and kissing him softly. </p><p>He returned the kiss, lifting a hand up to cup her cheek. “And apparently this spell fixed your arm?” He rested his free hand lightly on her arm.</p><p>“It doesn’t hurt,” she admitted, looking down at it and lifting her hand a little. “I guess as long as it’s not hurting, I should be okay.”</p><p>“Maybe we should get it checked out, just in case?” He pressed a kiss to her palm.</p><p>“Then I’d be risking getting a cast again,” she said, making a face. </p><p>“Yeah, but do you really want to risk re-injuring it and making it worse?” He frowned.</p><p>Chloe sighed a little and shook her head. “No. I’ll wear a brace I have when I get home and then figure out a way to tell dad how my cast came off without having him think I got crazy drunk during the party and pulled it off.”</p><p>Oliver leaned in, kissing her cheek softly. “Good idea.” </p><p>She turned her head to look at him and paused when she saw the obvious hickey on his neck. “Hm, guess you weren’t kidding when you said I got a little aggressive.” </p><p>He grinned at that. “No, I really wasn’t.” </p><p>“Did you see this?” She asked, reaching out and touching the mark on his neck gently before focusing on his face.</p><p>“No, but I’m not surprised about it, either,” he admitted.</p><p>Chloe looked at him for a moment longer then shifted closer and pressed a soft kiss to the spot. “I’d say sorry but, I’m not entirely sure it’d be a sincere apology,” she said, grinning a little when she pulled back.</p><p>He chuckled, threading a hand through her hair. “Like I said, no apologies are needed.” </p><p>She smiled and leaned her head into his touch a little. “Should we join the party?” She suggested quietly. “We can talk to Lex tomorrow, tell him about the stuff we saw.”</p><p>“Sure. I do believe you owe me a dance, Miss Sullivan,” he said softly, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to her.</p><p>Chloe took his hand and stood up too, nodding and smiling brightly at him. “I will gladly keep up my promise.”</p><p>Oliver grinned back just as brightly.</p>
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